Colorado Battlement Mesa Habitat Improvements Announced
OutdoorHub 08.17.11
BATTLEMENT MESA, Colo. – Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Mule Deer Association are launching a new cooperative project aimed at improving mule deer and elk habitat near Parachute and Debeque.
The Battlement Mesa Habitat Restoration Initiative will be focusing on habitat improvements in Game Management Unit 42. Other partners in the cooperative effort include the Bureau of Land Management, private landowners and oil and gas exploration companies including Williams, EnCana, Antero and Noble.
To learn more about the project, the public is invited to attend a presentation and free BBQ lunch to be held at the Battlement Mesa Activity Center Monday, August 22 at 11:30 a.m. In addition to the presentation, the public will have the opportunity to see for themselves the current conditions in the area that will be improved.
“The habitat in this area right now is very poor for deer and elk,” said Colorado Parks and Wildlife Area Wildlife Manager JT Romatzke. “Just like the current habitat project taking place in Molina, we expect a significant improvement in habitat quality for big game when we’re done. That will help herds in this area make a comeback and make for better hunting as well.”
Research by Colorado Parks and Wildlife has shown that landscape-scale habitat improvements can be effective in stabilizing and increasing wildlife populations especially in areas where wildlife is pressured by multiple stressors, such as development, severe winters, increased traffic and predation.
Project treatments will include mechanical removal of pinion-juniper woodlands that have displaced sagebrush and other natural forage for deer and elk. After the mechanical clearing, project managers will improve creeks and ponds that provide water to wildlife, and will seed the area with grass and forbs to provide natural forage.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Colorado Mule Deer Association, with funding and other resources donated by project partners, will direct the work.
“Without the cooperation and funds from a variety of sources it would be very difficult to get this done,” said Romatzke. “For this project, we have money from sportsmen’s groups, our own Habitat Partnership Program that is funded entirely from hunting licenses, private landowners, oil and gas companies, development companies, all contributing to make this important project possible.”
For more information about mule deer habitat improvements, go to: http://wildlife.state.co.us/Research/Mammal/Deer/Pages/Deer.aspx
Who: Colorado Parks and Wildlife and Colorado Mule Deer Association
What: Battlement Mesa Habitat Restoration Initiative Presentation
When: Monday, August 22, 11:30 a.m.
Where: Battlement Mesa Activity Center, 398 Arroyo Drive Parachute, CO
Contact: JT Romatzke at 970.250.4507, or Denny Behrens at 970.261.2513
